The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-02-04
PREVENTION OF CRIME
Address delivered by Rev. ]. NJ. Cleary
before the State Convention of Chari-
ties and Correction, in the Assembly
Chamber at Madison, Wis, Jan. 26

A careful observer Of criminal statistics in
forms Us that " One million and a half Of
human beings are annually broken into what
may De called criminal experience He refers
to The criminals OF this our own country as q
matter OF course. Aud when he states that this
miIlion ana half are annually initiated into
Criminal experience, he would have US under
stand that this alarming fact takes place largely
on account OF defects In our criminal legjsls'-
tlon: believe those who have given much at
tentlon to the subject viii agree that this esti
mate of the learned gentlemen has not been
placed too high. No wonder then. that an
earnest watchers OF our country's welfare should
De PROFOUNDLY moved, and take a deep and act
I've interest IN this great and vital problem.
What can be done to stop this eyer-increasinp
wave, bearing outward to the depths of an ocean
OF inquiry some of the fairest, best and most
promising OF our people? And if anything eff
fectiVe can be done, why is it not done. and
done without delay? These are Questions clam.
oring for solution in the ears of all good
None but dreamers indulge in the delusive hone
mat tne human race will ever attain TO that
perfect state in which crime in this world : III
DE wholly unknown. We are all tainted with
the effects of the first great disobedienoe in the
garden OF Eden, and propensity to evil is the
common inheritance OF man. 1t is not delu-
sion, however, to indulge in the consoling hoDe
that as human society advances as it shoTld
advance, to higher order of civilization. crime
snonId diminish among men, and as intelli-
gence becomes more widely diffused the num-
be- OF our criminals may be proportionately
diminished,
inc vast criminal machinery of this country
taxes our people heavily for its support and ]
thlnk there is general conviction among men
tnat IL gr1nds out but poor and unsatisfactory
returns for the enormous outlay I am well
aware of the fact that any, one NAV criticise but
only the wise and the prudent can provide q
remedy. Ii Is easy to say that crime should be
suppressed and the criminal punished, that he
may be reformed and others deferred from fol-
lowing his pernicious example, but grave diff
eultles stand in the way of all human legislation
when aiming to correct the ohender.and temper
mercy and charity with justice in leading him
to explate his crime. Ali men well know thai
many unfortunate criminals are more sinned
galnst than SHINING, and are ready to declare
WIN Paui ClHord that {" Circumstances make
guilt; let us endeavor to correct the circum-
stances before we rail against the guilt y
The methods that are suggested for remedying
the evils that create the circumstances of guilt
are as varied ana dIslnterestedly offered as the
kind Intentions of those who propose them,
And am not at all disposed to feel that weIi-in.
tentlon5d suggestions are barren of good res Its
But do not hesitate to take issue with those
VINO imagine that their methods for curing
humanity 8 ills are superior to those laid down
Dy the Saviour of men and the Author of the
Christian religion. His way of leading men to
the love OF virtue was not through the Kinder
garten for the child, or through general diffu-
sion OF mental training for the more ripa in
years, but by planting deep in the hearts of
children, and also of men, the enduring convic-
ton that mans first and greatest, most imDera-
tive duty, on which ell other duties depend, is
to love God above all things, because He is IN
fniGely good in Himself and infinitely good to
His creatures. Any training of the child or
man that ignores mans duty towards God is
radically detective, and is never rewarded with
the happy results which the good intentions of
those who indorse it would seem to deserve.
do not depreciate the benefcent advantages
OF kindergarten training for children, provided
that beneath that training there is built up in
the heart of the child as the foundation and
source of its first and purest impulses. love and
obedience towards GOD, and that into the mind
OF the child, just opening to knowledge, the
light of God truth is encouraged to enter and
brighten the thoughts of the CHI lid ct the earliest
dawn Of ideas. value as highly as any one can
the ennobling influence of mental culture and
training, but cannot be blind to the fact that
knowledge is power that, SAMPSON like NAV
tear from beneath our feet, in the mids5 of ap-
parent security and national happiness, the
foundation of our whole social sy-tem, and
leave us but ruins, blighted hopes and the
wrecks of all our joys un less well directed and
ten pered by moral convictions that have for
their foundation not the maxims that aHonesty
is the best policy" Virtue is its own reward, .
but rather, The fear of God is the beginning of
wisdom" " Seek first the Kingdom of God and
his justice and all other things will be added
unto you"
Religion is the foundation and source of all
true morality. The religion Of any people is
not the Outgrowth of that peoples morality and
virtue; but virtue, right living, is the natural
no lore correlative terms than are intelligence
and virtue Yet people often confound these
terms, and many are deceived by the captious
theory tFat the general diffusion of knowledge
is the saving balm for all our social ills. Too
many resemble foolish Dame Lobkins in her es-
innate of learning when training Paul Clifford
That in order to live as decorously as the par.
son Of the parish, 1t was only necessary to know
as much Latin"
/ often think of remark once made to me by
professlo lal gambler. He was one of our wei :
dressed, polite and gentlemanly gamblers, whose
whole department was an expression of refine
ment and res reliability. He defended his pro-
fession as a Justifable way of making living,
and providing for himself and family thescom.
forts and pleasant surroundings that give evil
dence of home ofrefinement and culture and
declared that his occupation was as honest and
honorable as that of the stock-b broker in Wall
street " But" said he, although T make
money and am considered an expert in our Dusi-
ness, always feel at disadvantage when very
clever work is to be done, for my early eiuea-
ton was neglected, and I am com oelled to take
a g hack seat" when drought into competition
with gentlemen of education, for hain't got the
schooling, and l. IN not as sharp as they at fig
ures" He recognized no benefit from an educa-
ton, only in so far as it might arm him with
keaner weapons to overreach the inexperienced
and unwary in his nefarious business.
Many who have given this subject careful and
disinterested attention place implicit reliance
on the statistics that are gathered in reference
to the inmates of our jaiIS and penitentiaries
and evolve all their theories for the prevention
and suppression of crime from the knowledge
these statistics convey. Now, do not believe
that .underrate the value of statistics they af-
ford interesting and instructive information
concerning those who have fallen into the
clutches of the law. They may point out with
reer of crime, but they do not, and cannot, enter
into broader investigation of the prob EN- and
disclose the more remote causes that had tainted
the very air which the criminal breathed and so
vitiated mis- surroundings thai he was incapable
of resisting the influences to evil or of realizing
his duty of obeying the moral law. 70 my
mind, statistics prove nothing beyond the fact
that certain number of those weaker victims
of crime, whom we see behind prison bars.
would not have been there had their circum.
stances in life been more favorable, and had
they enjoyed in their earlier years the advan-
tages of social culture, domestic training and
education that many greater criminals outside
the prison walls have abused. Men who are
most to blame that widespread disregard of
law prevails among the weaker classes of society
generally succeed in evadiug the clutches of
We all know the results of the mischievous
FRANKS of boys at school, The leaders in every
mischief, the instigators and shreWd originators
of every plot to outwit the teacher generally s.
cape punishment, while their Il IS cautious and
daring followers fall victims to the pedago que
rage. The same holds true in the case of grown
up boys who have emerged from school boy life
into the wider field of experience in public af-
fairs, He who Is shrewd enough to conceive
methods of evading the law and of circumvent-
ing his fellow men will also have the shrewd-
ness to escape detection. His imitators and
followers. as they had not his originality in de-
vising attractions of the law, or in surrounding
them with delusive charm or attractive fas-
cination, will also not possess his ingenuity for
escaping detection and punishment. The lead
ers are few, the followers many. The few es-
cape, while among the multitude of irnitators
many must become victims to the severity of
the law.
In the summer of 1853, in company with
friends, CHANGED to visit the penal institutions
on BlackwelPs Island, New York, and there
heard striking illustration of the foregoing
given.
The chaplain of the prison there was a face
tious little FrenchmaD, and, evidently. keen
observer. We saw that the vast majority of the
prisoners were young men, most of them with
frank and open countenances, 5etokening any,
thing but hardened criminals, and not a
few were young men of very pleasant and
attractive appearance We asked the witty
Frenchman why it was so many fine-l looking
yonng fellows came to join his congregation in
this forbidding place, and he explained the case
thus: " You must understand that when the
New York policemen go fishing they ALWAYS
catch miftnOlUs the big fish are never found on
their hooks" So, for some trifling offence g.
great number of these young men, with excel.
lent dispositions, with no doubt, laudable as.
pirations and good impulses, was placed in this
penal institution, clad in criminals garb, as
ISOLATED with shameless rogues and 81 broken in
to career of crime"
Prison statistics show that an enormously
large percentage of men follow a. criminal oa-